As I lay Dying With A Friend
by xXFantasyVSRealityxX
Summary: Basically my intake on what would have happened if Alaric knew Damon was dying from the start. Alaric is there for Damon the whole step of the way. It's not a slash fanfic, guys. Sorry! Just them as good friends. :D Rated T because like everyone else, I'm paranoid.
1. The Bite

Alaric watched Damon as they discussed what was going to happen tonight. A huge sacrifice was going to be made. Everyone knew that. But something was off about Damon. He had been acting weird all day.  
"We have a witch!" Damon yelled in frustration. "Nobody has to die!"  
Alaric shook his head. "Except Bonnie."  
Damon hissed in frustration, turned around, and slammed his fist into the wall, completely breaking it. When he pulled his arm out, he appeared to be swaying.  
"Hey, are you okay?" Alaric asked, the anger no longer visible in his voice.  
"I'm fine," Damon snapped, his voice tight with pain. He pushed passed Alaric, making his way to the door, when he began to sway again.  
"You're not fine," Alaric said, rushing to help is friend. "What's going on with you?" He grabbed Damon's arm to balance him, but Damon just hissed in pain as soon as Alaric touched it.  
"Did going through a wall really hurt you that bad?" Alaric asked.  
Damon shook his head. "It's not that, Alaric."  
"Then what is it?" Alaric watched as Damon hesitated.  
"It's not important right now. We have other things to worry about," Damon said. He made his way to the door again, but without thinking, Alaric grabbed his arm again, making Damon cry out in pain.  
"It is your arm," Alaric said. He quickly pulled up Damon's sleeve and nearly fell to the ground at what he saw. Damon's arm was covered in a purple-green mark that almost resembled a bruise but was too infected looking. It looked like poison was spreading through his veins. "Damon…"  
Damon jerked his arm away and quickly rolled down his sleeve. "I know, Ric. I just didn't want to have to deal with this right now."  
"Damon, what is it?" Alaric asked.  
Damon looked at the ground, avoiding Alaric's gaze. "It's a werewolf bite," he said after several seconds.  
` Alaric shook his head. "No. So that means-"  
"It means I'm going to die," Damon finished.  
Alaric shook his head. "I wasn't going to say that." He looked at Damon as his head finally came up. "There has to be a cure."  
"There's no cure for a werewolf bite, Ric. You know that."  
Alaric shook his head. "I refuse to believe that. There's no proof there isn't one."  
"But there's no proof that there is, either," Damon pointed out. "No one's ever heard of a werewolf bite cure. The legend says that a werewolf bite kills a vampire. There's nothing about a cure."  
"Damon-"  
Damon cut Alaric off again. "You need to stop worrying about me. There are more important things going on tonight." When he made his way to the door again, Alaric didn't bother trying to stop him from leaving. Damon's hand was on the door when he turned around. "Don't tell anyone else, okay? People don't need to get more wound up than they already are." With that, he opened the door and left.


	2. Help Needed, but Not Wanted

**AN: This chapter skips ahead of time. It's now Jenna's funeral. D:**

Alaric went over to Jenna's grave and gently put a rose on it. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sudden urge he had to break into tears. He knew it had to be done. Jenna would rather it be her than anybody else, but selfishly; Alaric didn't want it to be anybody else.  
When he looked up, he saw that Damon was walking away from the crowd, and stood alone several feet away.  
"Alaric!"  
His gaze moved away from Damon when he heard his name being called. Stefan was jogging up to him.

"I'm sorry about, Jenna," Stefan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you loved her."  
"Just like I loved Isabelle, too," Alaric blurted without thinking. "Maybe I'm just not meant to love anyone."  
"Hey," Stefan said gently. "Don't say that." When Alaric didn't answer, Stefan looked away, and his gaze found Damon. "What's Damon doing?" he mumbled.  
"Guess he's avoiding the crowd," Alaric said shrugging.  
"Why?"  
Alaric felt himself flinch. "I don't know," he lied.  
"I'm going to go talk to him," Stefan said. "I'll be right back."  
Stefan shook his head. "You're lying."  
"Just go talk to him, Stefan," Alaric said with a sigh. "He'll probably tell you."  
"Tell me what?" Stefan asked.  
Alaric looked away. "It's not my place to tell," he said sadly. "It doesn't have to do with me."  
"Then why do you know what's going on?" Stefan asked.  
"I'm not telling you anymore, okay?" Alaric's tone was irritated. He didn't want to seem rude, but he just wasn't in the mood for Stefan right now.  
Stefan nodded and walked over to where Damon was standing. He watched them talk for a short while, and instantly knew when Damon brought up the werewolf bite. His sleeve was rolled up, and Stefan quickly moved closer to Damon. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but the look on Damon's face, he was guessing they were talking about a cure. Damon put his hand on Stefan's shoulder, and began to walk away, leaving Stefan just standing there. He didn't want to bother him, but he couldn't resist. He jogged after Damon.  
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"Why did you follow me, Ric?" Damon asked.  
"To make sure you were okay," Alaric answered gently.  
"I'm fine," Damon snapped. "And I would be a lot better if you and Stefan would just quick worrying and focus on what's important."  
"WHAT ELSE IS SO IMPORTANT?" Alaric yelled. "Jenna is _dead_! The sacrifice has been made. She's gone! What else is so important."  
"Oh I don't know, Alaric," Damon said sarcastically. "Maybe the fact that there's a powerful werewolf slash vampire out there that could kill us all. Or maybe the fact that there are two people over there mourning their dead Aunt! Just because Jenna meant everything to you, and you don't feel like anything else in the world is important right now, doesn't mean that's the same for everybody else." Damon took a step back and almost lost his balance, but Alaric ignored it.  
"You're one to talk!" Alaric yelled back. "Aren't you usually the reason that someone is mourning a loved one in the first place? How many people have you killed in this town, Damon? They all had a loved one." As soon as Alaric said it, he regretted it. But also, another part of him was glad he said it.  
Damon shook his head. "Just leave me alone, Ric."  
Alaric watched Damon leave. He was about to turn the other direction when Damon started coughing violently.  
"Damon?" Alaric called to him.  
"I'm fine, Ric," Damon answered, when he finished coughing. He took another step, but completely lost his balance and fell.  
"Damon!" Alaric sprinted over to where Damon was, and helped him up.  
"I'm fine," Damon said for probably the hundredth time that day.  
"No you're not," Alaric told him gently; their argument earlier had been completely forgotten.  
"Alaric-"Damon was cut off by another coughing fit. Alaric watched as blood poured from Damon's mouth.  
"Oh my god," Alaric whispered. He pulled out a small package of tissues out from his back pocket that he had brought in case he, Elena or Jeremy needed any. He placed a hand on Damon's back and when he was done, handed him a tissue for Damon to wipe his mouth.  
"You're not fine," Alaric said again. "You need help."  
"There's really not much we can do right now," Damon said, standing up straight. Alaric moved to help him, but Damon shook him off.  
"What about Bonnie?" Alaric asked. "Stefan could talk to her. We could have her find something."  
"You and I both know that I'm the last person Bonnie would want to help."  
"She's not going to let you die, Damon. And neither are we. Now come on, let's get you home."  
"I'll go. You stay here with the rest of them. They're all heading back to Elena's." Damon said.  
"I'm not letting you go alone," Alaric said.  
"It'll be suspicious if you don't show up to the good-bye party for Jenna," Damon pointed out.  
"Actually, I didn't plan on going in the first place," Alaric said, looking away.  
"Why?" She was your girlfriend."  
"Exactly," Alaric said, looking back at Damon.  
Damon nodded. "Alright, fine. You can be my pretend mom, but only until everyone else gets back from Elena's. We don't want people getting suspicious. And if you keep hanging around me, they will."  
Alaric smiled. "I'm not trying to be your pretend mom, Damon. I just want to look after you, to see if you're okay."  
"Yeah, yeah," Damon said, rolling his eyes. And the two headed back to the Salvatore House.


	3. Important Authors Note! Please read this

**AN: Sorry! I hate writing a chapter for author's notes. It's annoying to the author and reader, but this is important. Every time I write a fanfiction, I ALWAYS include double spaces with lines, and indents. But when I post it on , the words are all jumbled. Can anyone help me with that? I tried editing it on , but when I saved it, it just went back to normal. If I can't figure this out, I'm going to have to quit As I Lay Dying With a Friend. The format is impossible to read and I've been getting some negative messages about it in my inbox. The word program I use is Microsoft Word which is one of the programs said works, so I know it's not the program. Sorry again for the inconvenience, I just needed you guys to know and see if any of you can help me.**

~FanGurl000


	4. Dragged Home

"Alaric, I don't need your help," Damon said, sounding irritated. Alaric had driven to the Salvatore house, and they were making their way inside. Alaric had put his arm around Damon's waist and was trying to support him.  
"You almost fell down twice," Alaric pointed out.  
Damon muttered a reply that Alaric couldn't really understand, but knowing that it was probably rude and sarcastic, Alaric chuckled slightly.  
They made it inside, and Alaric brought him over to the couch, and set him down on it. "There," Alaric said with a sigh. "Was that so bad?"  
"That was terrible," Damon said.  
Alaric rolled his eyes. "You'll get over it."  
"I'm sure I-"Damon stopped as he cried out in pain and closed his eyes tightly.  
"What hurts?" Alaric asked quickly.  
"Everything," Damon said through quick breaths. Alaric put a hand on Damon's shoulder as the vampire bent over in pain.  
Alaric felt like his heart dropped to his feet. He and Damon most definitely did not get along in the beginning. In fact, there was nothing more than he wanted to do than stake the vampire and watch him turn to ashes, but _now_, he realized how much he's grown to like the vampire. He was having a hard time imagining going to the bar, and not seeing Damon there. And no longer making death threats to him.  
The pain must have died down, because Damon was straightening up.  
"Are you alright?" Alaric asked.  
"Yeah," Damon said. "I'll be fine."  
"You told Stefan didn't you?" Alaric asked. "You showed him the bite."  
"Yeah, Stefan knows."  
"And what did he say?"  
Damon rolled his eyes. "He-like you- is trying to convince himself that there is some type of cure out there."  
"Because he-like me- isn't going to give up hope. We're going to find something, Damon," Alaric promised.  
"The more you get your hopes up, Ric, the more disappointed you'll get."  
Alaric was about to say something else when his phone went off. He read the caller ID. It was Stefan, who was more than likely checking up on things. "Hey," Alaric said picking up.  
"Where are you?" Stefan asked. He sounded almost irritated. "Elena's been looking for you. This party is for Jenna. You should be here."  
"Even if I could, I wouldn't go," Alaric said. "She's the last thing I want on my mind."  
"Well-" Stefan began but cut himself off. "Wait, what do you mean by 'even if I could?'"  
Alaric looked over his shoulder. Damon was a vampire, meaning he was listening in on every word. "Hang on," Alaric said to Stefan. Giving Damon a look, he went outside. "Damon needed my help. He won't ever admit that, but he did."  
He heard Stefan sigh from the other end. "How is he?"  
"We're running out of time," Alaric admitted.  
"I'll be right there."  
"No!" Alaric yelled into the phone. "Elena needs people there for her. Especially you."  
"Okay," Stefan agreed. "But as soon as it's over, I'll be right there."  
Alaric nodded. "Take your time. Make sure Elena and Jeremy will be okay, first."  
"I will," Stefan promised, then hung up.  
Alaric sighed and headed back into the house. When he got there, he looked at the couch and saw that Damon had fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, he went over to a chair that was across from the couch, and watched Damon.

"Elena!"  
Alaric jumped awake, realizing he had drifted off. He had been dreaming about Jenna. At first, he thought he was hearing things, when Elena's name was being called again. Glancing over at Damon, he realized it had come from him. The vampire was violently tossing and turning in his sleep. "I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I didn't mean to. Please believe me."  
"Damon!" Alaric went over to where Damon was asleep, and tried to wake him. "Damon, it's okay!"  
Damon woke up, and glanced at Alaric.  
"Are you alright?" Alaric asked worriedly. Damon looked as if he were about to answer when he began to cough violently again.  
Alaric sprinted over to the bathroom and grabbed a large towel. Bunching it up, he went back over to Damon and held the towel in front of his mouth for him to cough into. The white towel soon turned red as Damon coughed up blood.  
Alaric waited until he was done before he moved the towel away from his mouth.  
"I'm fine," Damon said before Alaric could say anything.  
Alaric shook his head. "That's a lie. And you know that."  
Damon laughed slightly. "You should want me dead. I'm the reason Jenna got killed."  
Alaric shook his head again. "I don't blame you for Jenna."  
"Ah, sure you do. Let's not forget I turned your wife into a vampire. You must really hate me for that."  
"We'd have to get really drunk for this conversation," Alaric said, only half joking. He looked at Damon. "What were you dreaming about, anyway?"  
"I don't remember," Damon said shrugging.  
"You really need to work on your lying," Alaric said.  
"I'm dying. Give me a break."  
Alaric laughed. "Just answer me."  
Damon shrugged. "You know how Rose went insane when she got bitten? And she tried to kill Elena?"  
"Damon-"  
Damon continued talking, cutting off Alaric. "I dreamt I went crazy and tried to bite Elena."  
Alaric was silent for a moment not really sure of what to say. Finally he spoke up. "Damon, we don't know if you're going to be the same way. You might not go crazy like Rose did. Maybe you'll handle it better than her body did."  
"She was older than me, Ric, probably even stronger. Though I hate to admit it."  
"Damon, we're just trying to stay positive about this whole thing." Alaric said gently. "Someone needs to, or we won't get through this."  
"_We?"_ Damon shook his head. "No, Ric. There is no _we_ in this, okay? I'm the one who is dying. I don't need you and Stefan to become a part of this. It's just going to make it even harder for everyone. You two don't need to suffer along with me. You've been through enough, Alaric. It hasn't been that long since Jenna died. You couldn't have gotten over it already."  
"No. No I haven't. Maybe that's why I'm having a hard time excepting your death, Damon. I just lost Jenna, and now, I might be losing one of my closest friends."  
Damon laughed. "One of your closest friends? Alaric, are you even aware of how much I put you through? Hell, how much I put _everyone _through. Maybe the reason I'm able to except my death, is because deep down, I know I deserve this. I know I deserve to die."  
"This isn't about me, Damon," Alaric said before he could stop himself. "This is about Elena. You love her."  
"Maybe I do, Ric! But that doesn't mean I don't regret what I've put you through too. What I put Stefan through, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline. What I put _everyone_ through." Damon sighed and continued. "And the worst part is, is that I can never take it back. I'm stuck with what I've done with the rest of my life, which what I'm hoping, won't be much longer."  
"You want to die?" Alaric asked in disbelief.  
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But what I do know is that I sure as hell deserve to."  
Alaric shook his head and looked at Damon. Part of him was hoping that Damon was just saying this to make his death easier, while another part of him knew that Damon was being serious. And he couldn't blame him either. If he had ruined so many lives, Alaric didn't think he'd be able to live with himself either.  
"It's time Elena knew about this," Alaric blurted.  
Damon looked at Alaric like that was the craziest thing he's ever heard. "Are you insane? No. She's been through enough. As I told Stefan, the last thing she needs right now, is another grave to mourn. Besides Jeremy, Jenna was the only family she had since her parents died."  
"Damon, we don't know how much time you have left," Alaric said seriously. "She needs to know before you go. She's still really upset about you giving her your blood. I know Elena. She'd rather know about you dying than you dying unexpectedly while she was still holding a grudge against you."  
Damon nodded. "You're right. I should talk to her."  
Alaric nodded. "Good."  
"But I'm not going to tell her about the bite."  
Alaric shook his head. "Not good."  
"I'm just going to ask her for forgiveness," Damon said quietly. Then sadly added, "I can't die peacefully knowing that she doesn't forgive me, and that the only reason she does, is because I'm going to die."  
Alaric nodded, almost understanding. "Are you going to call her?"  
"No. I'm going to go to her place."  
Alaric nodded. "I'll get my car keys and-"  
"No. I'm going by myself," Damon interrupted.  
"What?" Alaric asked in disbelief. "Like hell you are."  
"Alaric, I am an adult," Damon said slowly and irritated.  
"A dying adult."  
"Give me the dignity of being able to go a few miles by myself," Damon said.  
"Even if said no, would you still go by yourself?"  
"Yes."  
Alaric sighed. "Be careful, okay?"  
Damon gave Alaric his cocky smile. "Aren't I always?"  
"No, or else you wouldn't have been bitten in the first place," Alaric muttered.  
Of course with his vampire hearing, Damon still heard him. He put his hands up in the surrender gesture and said, "Hey, in my defense, I was saving Caroline's life!"  
Alaric nodded absent mindedly, and thought about that. Did Caroline even know about the bite? He doubted it. Damon clearly wants a clear conscience before he goes, and maybe Caroline forgiving him for all the things he had done to her would be a good start. If Alaric told her that Damon literally gave his own life for her, maybe she would no longer think of him as the monster that everyone knows she thinks he is.  
"Ric!" Damon yelled, making him snap out of his thought.  
"What?" Alaric asked.  
"You alright there?" Damon asked worriedly.  
"Yeah, don't worry about me. Just go find Elena. I have to make a phone call."


	5. Who is to Blame

AN: Thanks to a guest user, and somebody named Delena4Nian50 for the awesome reviews! Love your support guys!

DISCLAIMER: (I should probably start doing these…) I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DAIRES! If I did, don't you people think I would have better things to do than to make a pointless fanfiction off of an episode that already happened just so I could include some friendship scenes? If I owned VD, this would have already happened in the actual show! Silly people. ;)

Okay. I'm done ranting, and this will be the only chapter with all this pointless stuff at the beginning. Other than disclaimer and thanks to reviewers, but those will be quick. I promise.  
I LIED! SORRY! One more thing! I know there's the whole debate "OH! ELENA HAS TO BE WITH DAMON!" OR "STEFAN AND ELENA ARE PERFECT!" Well, I hate debates, and I hate tying VD with Twilight, so I don't get into that stuff. So to avoid this kind of review: *GASP* YOU MADE THIS A STELENA/DELENA STORY? OH, HOW COULD YOU?" I didn't know who to pair Elena up with so this isn't really romantic. I decided to stick with the original pairing and make it a Stefan and Elena. Now, before you Delena fans quit on me, I don't even think there will be romance in this at all. This pretty much revolves around Damon and Alaric's friendship. Elena and Damon do talk in this, and if your heart's desire, you can make it romantic in your own minds, but it's not. Sorry. :/ Any Elena and Damon moments are friendship.

Damon's Point of View

Damon walked up Elena's porch steps, doing his best to hide how crappy he felt. He shivered as a breeze brushed past his body. Something that two days ago wouldn't have affected him.  
He ignored all the troubling thoughts that ran through his head and knocked on Elena's front door. To his surprise, it wasn't Elena who answered. It was the younger Gilbert, Jeremy.  
"You're here for Stefan, right?" Jeremy asked him. Damon practically felt the emptiness in his tone. He could hear the sadness and pain that Elena's younger brother was feeling. But at the same time, Damon had to hold back hitting himself. He'd completely forgotten Stefan was here.  
"Wait, the party still isn't going on, is it?" Damon asked, pondering coming back later.  
"The party ended hours ago," Jeremy explained. "You would have known if you showed up. Elena missed you tonight."  
Hours? What time was it? Damon then remembered he had practically passed out on the couch as soon as Alaric had helped set him on it. "I was helping Alaric," Damon lied. He almost chuckled at how ironic the lie was. "He was really upset, and somebody had to help him. I figured he'd need somebody."  
Jeremy scoffed. "So you were just helping him out of the goodness of your heart?"  
Damon rolled his eyes and didn't answer. Instead he changed the subject. "But Stefan's still here?"  
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, he's been with Elena all day. She didn't even come downstairs to the party. She wanted you here, Damon."  
Damon looked at him in surprise. "What? Why?"  
Jeremy glared at him. "Why do you think? Our aunt just died, Damon! She expected all her friends to be here for her!"  
Damon, feeling guilty, yelled back. "Well last time I checked, Elena wasn't the only one hurting from this! And Elena told me herself that she was upset about what I did."  
"She may be upset with you, but she still hoped you'd be there for her, you dick. Now let me just get Stefan so you can just get the hell out of here."  
Damon took a deep breath and sighed. "Jeremy, I'm sorry."  
Jeremy, who had already begun to head toward the stairs, turned around. "What?"  
Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry." He hardly ever apologized to people, and having to do it twice, made him irritated. But it had to be done. Damon didn't think he'd make it through this, and he didn't want to die knowing the entire Gilbert family hated him. "It's just-"  
"You're dying, and you want to apologize to Elena before you go?" Jeremy asked, a sideways smile appearing on his face."  
"What?" It was Damon's turn to be shocked.  
"Bonnie told me. Stefan called her to look for a cure, remember? Well, Bonnie told me." Then he quickly added, "Don't worry, it's only me and Bonnie who know so far."  
Damon shook his head. "You knew this whole time?"  
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I did."  
"Now who's the dick?" Damon asked.  
Jeremy laughed slightly. "But seriously, did you come here alone?" He asked.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Well, I just thought maybe you should have gotten some help or-"  
Damon shook his head. "You're sounding like Ric."  
"Is he really the reason you didn't show up?"  
Damon laughed. "No. Actually, it's the exact opposite. Alaric brought me home after the funeral."  
"Why?" Jeremy asked him.  
Damon shrugged. "He thought he needed to?"  
"Did he?"  
Damon sighed. "You're asking a lot of questions."  
"Jeremy?" Damon recognized Elena's voice. "Is that Damon I hear?" Damon turned around and saw Elena come downstairs. She looked at Damon and crossed her arms. "What do you want, Damon? Isn't trying to turn me into a vampire then not showing up to Jenna's party enough?"  
"Elena, cut him some slack," Jeremy completely surprised Damon by saying. Elena looked passed Damon at her brother and gave him a look that clearly said, you're my brother, you're supposed to be on my side.  
"Look, Elena, I wanted to be here, I really did," Damon said, telling her the truth.  
"Then why didn't you?" Elena asked. "Why didn't you show up? I asked Stefan and he said that it wasn't his place to tell and that you'd tell me when you were ready."  
Way to put pressure on me, brother, Damon thought. He looked back at Jeremy, and jerked his head, telling signaling to the younger Gilbert that he wanted privacy with his sister. Understanding, Jeremy ran up the stairs.  
"I'm here to apologize," Damon whispered. "Feeding you my blood, I was wrong."  
"Yes you were."  
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but," Damon hesitated, trying to find words. "I need it."  
Elena sighed. "And I need some time." She looked up at Damon, and looked away again. "Maybe a lot of time."  
"Sure." Damon put a fake smile on his face. "Take all the time you need."  
"Damon." Damon looked over and saw Stefan coming down the stairs. Stefan looked at Damon and said to Elena, "can we have a minute alone?"  
Elena gave Stefan a confused look. "Sure," she said before exiting the room.  
"What do you want?" Damon asked his brother with a sigh.  
"What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded. "You should be saving your strength, not wasting it coming here."  
"Ouch. Does Elena know she's just a waste of energy?" Damon asked, with his usual side smile."  
"You know that's not what I mean, Damon."  
"I know what you mean, Stefan. And I couldn't die without knowing if Elena forgave me."  
Stefan nodded. "She would have been a bit more forgiving if you would have been here for her."  
"I've heard that a million times tonight," Damon said. "Me coming here tonight just wasn't possible at the time."  
"Okay, you've gotten Elena's forgiveness. Now go home and rest," Stefan ordered.  
"Elena didn't forgive me, Stefan," Damon said, not able to hide the sadness in his own voice. "She still hates my guts. Looks like I'm going to die that way."  
"Then tell her!" Stefan yelled. "Tell her what's going on. She'll forgive you right away."  
"Out of pity," Damon pointed out.  
"Well what did you say after she said she didn't forgive you?" Stefan asked him.  
"Well she said she needs time."  
"And?"  
Damon looked away from his brother. "And I told her to take all the time she needed."  
"Damon, are you insane? Currently, you don't have time."  
"You think I don't know that, Stefan?"  
"Look, we will find something, Damon. I promise you that. I'll do whatever it takes. Hell, I'd rather sacrifice myself than watch you die."  
Damon shook his head. "I would never let you do that."  
"I told you at the cemetery, Damon. I will do this."  
"I should go," Damon said, not wanting to talk about this with his brother anymore. Without another word, Damon left the house.  
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Alaric's Point of View

Alaric sat on the couch waiting for Damon. He had just called Caroline (Who called Matt, who called Tyler Lockwood) and had asked them to talk to Damon. None of the three were relatively close to Damon. In fact, all of them hated him. But it was Caroline Damon saved and it was Tyler who bit him in the process. Now he just had to wait for the vampire to arrive, and wait for the yelling to get over with, and then wait for the three others to arrive. Meanwhile, Alaric had done some research himself. So far nothing said anything about a cure for a werewolf bite. The only thing he got was, "werewolf bite: fatal to vampires!" The same warning appeared everywhere.  
Alaric's thoughts were broken as Damon came into the room and plopped down on the couch next to Alaric. "How'd it go?" Alaric asked.  
"Don't get me started," Damon grumbled.  
Alaric gave Damon a sympathetic smile. "No good, huh?"  
"Nope. Elena still hated my guts."  
"So, what happened?" Alaric asked.  
Damon took a deep breath. "Well, I had a heart-to-heart talk with Elena's brother. Gross. Got called a dick somewhere in the process, I think a joke was pulled on me thought I can't be sure. You can never tell with that Jeremy kid. Then, talked to Elena, got my apology rejected. Told her I'd give her some time, Stefan came, Elena left. Stefan told me how I don't have time and should just tell Elena about the bite, I called him insane, Stefan yelled at me, tried also to have a heart-to-heart talk with me which was also gross, then I came home."  
Alaric raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Sounds like a long night."  
"You have no idea," Damon said shaking his head. "So what did you do?"  
Alaric hesitated. "Well…" his voice trailed off.  
"Ric," Damon warned.  
"I also had a heart-to-heart talk with somebody. Though it wasn't exactly about me."  
Damon furrowed his brows. "Ric, that doesn't make any-" he was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
Damon instantly was confused. No one ever really showed up here except Elena, and she would be with Stefan so she wouldn't have knocked…  
"Oh, they're here. Good. Makes my job a lot easier," Alaric said, getting off the couch.  
"Who's here?" Damon asked following Alaric who was headed to the door. "Alaric! Who did you call?"  
Alaric opened the door, and Damon saw Caroline, Matt and Tyler at the door. "I'm going to kill you, Alaric."

"Damon!" Caroline cried, stepping into the house. "It's all my fault, I'm sorry!"  
Damon turned his gaze over to Alaric. "You told them? What part of "no one can know about this do you not understand? Don't you think there's enough going on?"  
"She needed to know, Damon. And in my defense, I'm not the one who called Tyler and Matt. That was all Caroline."  
Caroline's hands shot up in surrender. "If I needed to know, these guys did too! They're just as a part of this as I am. More for Tyler."  
Damon looked over at the two teenage guys who were stepping inside.  
"I really hate you, Ric," Damon grumbled. Turning to Caroline he said, "last time I checked, I was on your 'people I want to, but I'm too nice to kill' list."  
"Well that was before I found out you're a nice guy who risks his life for me."  
"Don't get used to it, Sweetheart," Damon said.  
"It's not your fault, Caroline. "It's mine." Damon looked over at Tyler Lockwood. Damon was surprised to hear that come out of the very prideful werewolf. He wasn't known to be the nicest guy in the world. Not that Damon had room to talk.  
"You weren't in control," Damon pointed out, feeling like it was the right thing to do.  
"Does Elena know about this?" Matt spoke up.  
"No," Damon said. "And it will stay that way."  
"So, you're just not going to tell her?" Caroline asked. "Damon, she has to know!"  
"Don't you think she has enough to deal with right now?" Damon countered.  
"I've been Elena's best friend since first grade. I would know that she'd rather know, than you die without her knowing."  
"Caroline's right, Damon," Matt said. "It's just going to hurt her more if she doesn't know."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "Just go, okay?"  
Caroline glared at Damon. "If you don't tell her, I will."  
"If you tell her, Wolfy Boy and your human friend will wake up at the bottom of the lake."  
"I think he's serious," Matt whispered in Caroline's ear, apparently not remembering that Damon was a vampire with super-sonic hearing.  
"Oh, I'm dead serious."  
Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's cruel not to tell her!" she yelled.  
"I'm not known to be the one to do something because it's 'the right thing to do'", Damon pointed out.  
The three teenagers left the house, Caroline glaring at Damon the entire way out the door.  
"Do you have to piss everyone off?" Alaric asked once they were all gone.  
"Did you have to invite them?"  
"Yes. We've been over this. They needed to know."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "Just get out of here, Alaric."  
Alaric looked at Damon. "Excuse me?"  
"Can I be alone for the rest of the night?" Damon yelled.  
"Look if you're mad at me-"  
"It's not you!" Damon yelled.  
"Elena." Alaric didn't say it as a question.  
"It's always Elena," Damon mumbled.  
Alaric placed a hand on Damon's shoulder. "I'd love to give you a nights worth of privacy," he said gently. "I'm just afraid of what's going to happen."  
"So am I," Damon whispered. "That's why I need you to leave."  
"You're not going to hurt me, Damon," Alaric said gently, though almost unsure.  
"I can't take that chance."  
Alaric took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. He looked around the room, almost as though he was stalling. Finally, he said, "Stefan will be here right?"  
"I make no promises," Damon admitted. He was getting ready to say yes just so Alaric would just leave already, but he didn't want to start lying now. He was still trying to get on everyone else's good side. "He might stay with Elena tonight. I think he's honestly a bit unhappy with me."  
Alaric scoffed. "Who isn't these days?" He looked at Damon and nodded. "I'll come first thing in the morning. I promise."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. Now just get out of here. You have some people you need to check on."  
Alaric nodded. He looked at Damon for a while before whispering, "okay" then he headed out the door, leaving Damon alone.

Please review guys! I would love it! If it doesn't turn out right, you guys can't say I didn't try. So please no bad reviews about the format. Thanks! Love you all!


	6. Locked Up Danger

**AN: Okay, guys. It's the dreaded author's note! Sorry. Thanks again to some guest reviewers and someone by the name of DarknessBloodAngel. Loved the review and how you guys tried to help. DarknessBloodAngel, Wordpad is not compatible with on my laptop, but I appreciate the help. :D Guest user, copy and paste apparently didn't work. **** But my thanks go to you, too for trying to help. **** Okay only one thing left for me to say: I will be using some of the dialogue from the original episode. (If you haven't gotten that already) Like the argument between Elena and Damon was in the actual episode but just a bit different since I couldn't remember the whole thing and was too lazy to go on Youtube. XD But please, enjoy this chapter.**

Damon walked into the house after he had just gone out for some morning air. He took his jacket off, and tossed it on the back of one of his chairs in the living room. He then headed to his scotch pantry and looked through it. He decided on a really good one for the little party he was having by himself. He thought of it as a small going away party. As he poured himself a glass of the alcohol and took a drink, he winced as a sharp pain shot up through his arm. He reached over and pulled up his sleeve. It was getting more and more worse as the hours flew by. Sighing, he pulled his sleeve down and went over to the window and drew open the curtains. Standing in the sunlight for a moment, he looked up out the window and felt a small smile appear on his face for just a second. He drained his glass and walked over to a table and set the empty glass on it. Keeping his eyes out the window, he walked back into the sunlight, and just stood there for a moment.  
_It ends here," _he thought. He slowly started to pull off his ring, and then dropped it onto the ground. He put his arms out, as he felt his face begin to burn. Allowing the sun to torch his skin, he winced in pain. It burned like hell, but it still was nice knowing the way out. He was starting to really accept his death when he heard someone yell his name.  
"Damon!"  
It was Alaric. Damon felt himself get tackled to the ground. As he lay on the ground, he looked up at Alaric's face.  
"Get off of me," Damon hissed.  
"Damon, you can't do this," Alaric's voice was sad and pleading. He pulled Damon up and pushed him up against the nearest wall. Even though Alaric was just human, he was strong. Maybe even stronger than Damon right now.  
"Just did," Damon said. "I told you about my friend Rose, Ric. She lost control. She was a danger to everyone."  
Alaric shook his head. "There has to be something we can do!" he cried out in frustration.  
"Kill me, Ric!" Damon heard the tears in his own voice. "Please."  
Alaric grabbed Damon and took him to the cellar. Damon was right, at his current state, he was a lot stronger than the vampire.  
Alaric took Damon inside the cellar, set him on the floor as gently as he could, then left Damon alone inside.  
"Now you're not a danger to anyone," Alaric said, locking the cellar door.  
Damon scoffed. "Now what's your plan, Alaric?"  
"I'm not going to let you die," Ric said.  
"Just let me die and get it over with." Damon stopped talking as he started coughing violently. Turning to his side, he spat out blood all over his hand and the floor. When he was done, he groaned and spit out whatever blood was left in his mouth.

**Alaric's Point of View **

Alaric watched as Damon coughed up blood. It was painful to watch and he felt like turning and running away. But, he couldn't. He had to be here for him. He looked at Damon. "I'm going to call Stefan. See what he can come up with."  
Damon laughed. "Good luck with that. Stefan is just like you. He thinks there's actually a way to cure a werewolf bite."  
"There is." Alaric did his best to sound convincing. "We just haven't been looking hard enough."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "Well Stefan sure as hell has been trying hard. That's all that's been on his mind since he found out. Well, that and Elena of course."  
"Do you blame him?" Alaric snapped. "You're his brother, Damon! He cares way more than you think. And in my opinion, you need to start seeing that. You need to see how much he would do for you. He's rather die than watch you die! And that's just beginning."  
"Heaven knows why. You and I both know that Stefan knows that this is what I deserve." Damon looked at Alaric straight in the eyes. "I deserve this, Ric. I deserve to die."  
Alaric shook his head. "You can't give up already, Damon. There's fight left in you. You may not see it, but I do. We'll get you through this. Me, Stefan, Bonnie. All of us!"  
"You don't get it!" Damon yelled. "I was supposed to be dead 100 plus years ago, Ric. Maybe I'm just tired of being here. Maybe I want to move on from this pathetic thing I call a life. I honestly think Elena would be better off if I were dead."  
"This is about Elena?" Alaric asked.  
"It always is," Damon said, the conversation feeling vaguely familiar.  
"Well let's forget about Elena for two seconds, okay? There are other people in your life that would miss you if you left. Elena is one of them."  
"And who are the others? You? Stefan? Ric three people don't make up for the countless others I've killed."  
Alaric raised his eyebrows. "And here I was thinking you were entirely incapable of remorse." He stared at Damon for a few seconds then said, "Stefan needs to be here. Then we're all going to brainstorm. We can't leave you locked up in a cellar until you get cured."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine. Stefan and no one else." When Alaric turned to leave, Damon shouted after him. "And I mean _no one_!"

**Sorry, guys. Short chapter. I know you'll hate me for that. But I made sure not to kill you entirely with a horrible cliffhanger. The truth is, I have no idea where to go from here. XD I'll figure it out. But there's something that I'm super excited about. I'm going to try the 100 fanfic challenge with TVD. I'm just doing it for fun, I'm not doing the "only one person can do this for each fandom" or whatever thing. It'll just be because I have no life and need some way to take up time that's not Facebook. LOL Anyway… I'll be working on that as soon as I finish this fanfic. If you really like my writing (even if the format sucks because my computer hates me) you should check it out after this. Also, I will definitely be posting Fanfics from other fandoms and TVD fanfics that are unrelated to the challenge. Happy reading everyone. Oh! One more thing! Some lines in repeat in a chapter that I can't remember. That's not me. That's my spazzy laptop. I need a new one, and hopefully will be getting one soon. Thanks guys! And reviews are loved! Also, problems with quotation marks and punctuation have been reported. Working on it. :P**


	7. A Sweet Sight of Katherine

**AN: Big thanks to Child of the Night 13 for the advice. Glad you're trying to help. I've read some of her work and she's an awesome writer. You really should check out her profile! Do it for me, people! Thanks to my friend who has read this and giving me feedback on what I need to improve. And always a disclaimer. (I shouldn't say always. I never do these :P) I do not own TVD. As I said before, if I did, I'd be doing other things than sitting at my counter all day writing about it.**

Alaric's Point of View

"So, Damon's locked up?" Stefan asked him. Alaric had just been explaining this morning's events to Damon's brother.  
Alaric nodded. "Yeah, but it's still difficult to say how much time he has left. But honestly, no more than 48 hours. We're running out of options, Stefan."  
Stefan nodded. "I'll call Bonnie. See if there's anything she can do."  
Alaric looked at him. "I thought you already have. Didn't she say there was nothing to do?"  
Stefan looked away. "Bonnie can't do anything." He looked up at Alaric again.  
Alaric shook his head. "You lost me."  
"It's not Bonnie I'm hoping to get help from. It's Emily."  
Alaric raised his eyebrows. "Bonnie's old ancestor? How do you plan to do that?"  
"Summon her."  
Alaric nodded. "Even if that does work, I thought Emily and Damon had a not so good history together."  
"You sure know a lot about this," Stefan said, giving Alaric weird look.  
Alaric laughed. "Damon talks a lot when he's drunk." Becoming more serious he added gently, "Stefan, she more than likely isn't going to help us."  
Stefan just nodded, not giving Alaric a straight answer. Alaric kept quiet, not wanting to make things worse for the vampire. He couldn't even imagine what it was like slowly watching your brother die. He kept forgetting that Damon wasn't the only one who was severely suffering right now. All of this, made Alaric wonder what Elena would say if she knew. He almost laughed out loud knowing that the first thing she would do was slap Alaric hard across the face for not telling her sooner. Then, he knew that she would become miserable and like everyone else, would feel overwhelmed in grief and guilt.  
Alaric came back to reality as he saw Stefan pull out his cell-phone.  
"Bonnie it's me," he said into the phone.  
"I know I called earlier, but there's something we could try."  
"No, it's not that, I don't think that would work. Listen, how do you feel about contacting Emily?"  
"Yeah, Emily. We think she might know something."  
There was a long pause and Alaric was guessing either Bonnie was thinking about it, or going on a long rant about why she doesn't want any part of helping Damon. Finally, he heard Stefan say, "no, she doesn't know."  
_Elena_. It wasn't hard to figure out who the "she" was. Bonnie was more than likely going to agree to help Damon just because Elena had a soft spot for him in her heart and would be devastated if he died.  
"Okay thanks, Bonnie." Stefan hung up his cell.  
"She's doing it?" Alaric asked, surprised.  
"Yeah, for Elena though."  
_Always Elena_,Alaric thought.

**Damon's Point of View **

Damon sat against the wall in the cellar. Exhaustion was slowly taking over, and making him dizzy. He looked at the door and saw Katherine come in.  
"Katherine?" Damon asked, completely shocked. "What are you doing here?"  
Katherine smiled and walked over to Damon. "Didn't think I'd let you leave without saying good-bye did you?" She was wearing a long, silky red dress that had a white floral corset over it which showed off her fantastic figure.  
"So, you're just saying good-bye as a kind gesture?" Damon had a hard time hiding the amusement out of his voice.  
"Come with me," Katherine whispered in his ear. "We'll have so much fun together. Just like old times." Her smile was dark and mischievous.  
"I'll always be willing to come with you, Katherine," Damon whispered. He closed his eyes and waited to see Katherine's next move although it never came. When he slowly opened his eyes, she wasn't there. He looked around the room and didn't see a sign of her. Everything was the way it was. Dark, cold, and lonely.  
"Great," Damon muttered. The delusion had just begun.

**Alaric's Point of View **

Stefan had told Alaric that he could handle Bonnie by himself that suggested that he go and check up on Damon. Alaric had agreed, not wanting to be there when Bonnie did this.  
He went back to the Salvatore Boarding House and stepped into the house. The first thing he heard was Damon talking. Was Elena here? Then he noticed whoever he was talking to wasn't talking back. Then he heard her name: _Katherine. _Was Katherine here? He stepped closer to the cellar and heard Damon mutter, "great".  
"What's great?" Alaric asked, making Damon look up in surprise. He seemed almost embarrassed.  
"How long have you been here?" Damon asked, his eyes wide.  
"Not long," Alaric said shrugging.  
Damon looked relieved.  
"So, uh… Where'd Katherine go?" Alaric asked, a teasing smile on his face.  
"Oh, shut up, Ric," Damon mumbled, glaring at him.  
"I got something for you," Alaric said, momentarily dropping the subject. He pulled out Damon's daylight ring and put it on the cellar's windowsill. "I picked it up on my way to see Stefan. Thought you'd might like to have it back." He watched as Damon stumbled over and grabbed the ring. "Keep it on this time, Damon."  
Damon chuckled. "Not like there's sunlight in here anyway."  
"I wish we didn't have to keep you locked up Damon. It's not healthy. There's no air and it's filthy down here."  
"It's for the best," Damon pointed out. "Besides; it's not like it's my first time I've been dying in this cellar. Back when I apparently was a major douche-bag-"  
"Stefan vervained you and deprived you of blood," Alaric said, cutting in. "I know. You told me."  
Damon looked at Alaric with a puzzled look. "I did? When did I tell you that?"  
"When you were drunk," Alaric explained. "Pretty much the only time you tell me these things."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "I need to stop getting drunk with you."  
Alaric laughed. "Oh it's not only when you're with me. Half the time you'll actually call me and tell me your life stories. It's annoying. Especially when it's two in the morning and I have to teach the next day."  
Damon this time was the one who laughed. "Yeah, just ask Stefan. I can be a major pain in the ass."  
Alaric looked at Damon. "This is killing him, you know? You being locked up here."  
Damon sighed. "I know, I know. I already had the heart-to-heart talk with my brother, remember? It was at Elena's house."  
"Yeah, I know, Damon. But what I'm saying is that it's hurting him more than he's letting on."  
"Wow," Damon said. "That surprises me, because he sure is letting on a lot."  
Alaric shook his head. "Does everything have to be a joke to you?"  
"Yes."  
Alaric scoffed. "I got you something else," he said.  
"What?" Damon asked, standing up again.  
"Double shot." Alaric pulled out a bottle of scotch and poured Damon a glass. Damon took it and smiled. "Wouldn't have asked for anything more. Except maybe Elena's forgiveness."  
"Still not going to tell her?" Alaric asked.  
"Tell me what?"  
Alaric turned around and saw a very pissed off looking Elena.


	8. Forgiveness and Anger

**AN: Thanks to Raphs No. 1 Girl for the great review! As promised, here's the next chapter. She's written some stuff too, so go check out her profile. On another note, I had all Saturday to write this chapter, and I only started working on it at 10:00pm! Sorry, guys. If it's not up this night, (I don't know what day of the week it will be for some of you) I'll have it up by Sunday (tomorrow). I really am sorry about not writing this earlier. :P My lame excuse is that I just got into a T.V series and have literally been watching it all day. As always, (actually, not even close to always) I don't own TVD. Trust me. I'd be weird if I was writing this if I was the owner…. Please enjoy the next chapter!**

Damon's Point of View

When he first saw Elena he thought he was hallucinating again. That is, until he saw Alaric's face. He too, had a shocked look on his face.  
"Elena?" Damon whispered, trying to make his voice stronger than it really was.  
"Someone talk to me. Now." Damon had seen Elena angry before, but it usually wasn't this bad. He arms were crossed and she glared back and forth from Damon to Alaric.  
"How much do you know?" Alaric asked her.  
Elena shrugged. "Oh, just the fact that every single person I know has been avoiding me. And that everyone is hiding something. I ask them what it's all about and I never get a straight answer." Her eyes locked with Damon's. "Yet, your name seems to always come up, Damon."  
Damon thought about coming up with a lie. He looked at Alaric who gave him a sad smile and a shrug. So sighing, he looked at Elena. "I wanted to tell you earlier. It's just, you had so much on your mind…" his voice trailed off. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I'm dying, Elena."  
Elena uncrossed her arms and widened her eyes. "What? How? When are you gonna…"  
"Tyler Lockwood bit me," Damon explained. "As for the 'when' it's impossible to say. Except I know it's not going to be longer than two days."  
"Is that why you're locked in the cellar?" Elena asked, looking around the room.  
"You were there with Rose, Elena. She lost control. I'm risking everyone's lives just by still being alive."  
Elena looked at Damon. She swallowed hard. "You-you tried to apologize. And I rejected it." She sounded like she was going to cry. "Damon I'm so sorry."  
"I am too. I wish you wouldn't have found out this way."  
Elena just shook her head. She moved closer to Alaric and slapped him across the face. "You should have told me!" This time, sobs were escaping her.  
"It's not Ric's fault Elena, alright?" It took a lot of energy, but Damon stood up and walked over to the window. "I told everyone that they weren't allowed to say anything to you. I even threatened to send Matt and Tyler at the bottom of a lake."  
Elena wiped her eyes. "Where's Stefan?"  
"With Bonnie," Alaric answered. Damon laughed when he saw a red mark across his face.  
"You hit hard, Elena. I'm so proud."  
"Oh, shut up, Damon," she muttered.  
"Still mad?" he asked.  
"About which thing?" Elena pointed out.  
"Oh that's true. I haven't exactly been on your good side for the past few days. But I was talking about not telling you."  
Elena shrugged. "I understand why you did it, Damon. It's just, knowing you only have two days. I just wish I would've known so I could spend more time with you."  
Damon sighed. "What about the other thing?"  
"What other thing?" Elena asked.  
"Me trying to turn you into a vampire." Elena opened her mouth to respond, but Damon spoke up before she had the chance to say anything.  
"Elena, just because I'm dying, doesn't mean you forgive me. I want to know if you truly, honestly, forgive me." He looked at Elena and saw the hesitation in her eyes.  
"I don't know, Damon." Her eyes filled with tears. "I want to forgive you but I just don't know if I do." There was a long, awkward silence before Elena asked, "So why is Stefan with Bonnie?"  
Damon scoffed. "They think they can save me?"  
Elena looked at him. "Well can they?" there was hope in her tone of voice.  
Damon shrugged. "Probably not." He looked at Elena. "But you know my idiot brother. He thinks he can save everyone, and everything. He never seems to face the facts. Even if they're right there in front of him."  
"Damon, he's your brother!" Elena yelled. "He's just trying to help."  
"Getting his own hopes up isn't going to help anyone, Elena. You know that, I know that, Stefan knows that. He just can't face reality."  
Elena shook her head. "It's not over, Damon. There's still hope. You can't give up." She looked away. "I feel like you're not even trying anymore." Looking back at him, she yelled, "why aren't you trying? Why did you give up so soon, Damon?"  
"I'll tell you what I told Alaric and Stefan: Elena, I'm ready, okay?"  
Elena stood there, her eyes wide. She looked back at Alaric, who quickly looked away. "What do you mean you're ready?"  
"I mean, I'm ready to move on. I know I'll more than likely go to hell, but it's what I deserve. Elena, I've been alive way too long, and I'm tired, okay? I'm tired of being a monster for eternity!"  
"What? Where is this all coming from? Where's the "I'm proud to be an eternal stud" or whatever you say? Where's the cocky Damon that no matter what, won't stop being the cocky Damon? Where's the strong vampire that doesn't have feelings?"  
"He died. A _long _time ago."  
Elena shook her head again. "No. I don't believe this. I can't believe you're giving up."  
Damon shrugged. "Like I said, it's time for me to go."

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric watched as Elena and Damon went back and forth.  
"It's like I said, it's time for me to go."  
"No." Alaric cut in between them. "You may not want to be on this planet anymore, but there are others who want you to stay." He swallowed. "You may think you're alone in this, but you're not. You never were, Damon. I've been with you from the start. Sure I hated you, and in fact, a part of me still does, but the first time you and I had our bonding moment was when we both killed all those vampires. Sure, I punched you in the face afterwards, but I couldn't have asked for a better teammate."  
Damon looked away. "I thought we had to be drunk to have conversations like this, Ric." He looked at Alaric, who shrugged. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're going soft on me."  
"I could be telling you the same thing."  
Damon laughed and then closed his eyes. He slid down the wall, slowly, until he was sitting up against it.  
"Damon?" Elena asked.  
"Damon!" Alaric said a little louder.  
"Alaric, he's not responding. Something's wrong." Elena said, panic was taking over her voice.  
"Yeah, I see that." Alaric hesitated then unlocked the door to the cellar. He ran over to Damon. "Come on, buddy. Let's see what's wrong with you." Damon's eyes slowly opened. He looked over to where Elena was standing outside the cellar. Then he looked at Alaric.  
"She's mine," he hissed. He pushed Alaric back and even in his weakened state, sent Alaric flying and he hit the wall.  
"RIC!" Elena yelled. But that's all he heard before he blacked out completely.

**AN: HAHA! It's one in the morning but I got this done on Saturday… Okay actually technically it's Sunday. But whatever! Hope you guys liked it and next chapter will be up soon. Not tonight though. I'm about to pass out. XD Thanks to all who read!**


	9. Hoping for Health

**AN: Thanks to a guest user for the review! Glad you're liking it. And Raphs No. 1 Girl again. And no worries, I like it when people are demanding. And I did sleep. Haha. A lot. Anyways, disclaimer: No. I don't own this. I own crap. Haha. Please don't sue me. I should be doing homework, but I'm writing this instead. I don't think I have anything else to say, so here's the next chapter.**

Stefan's Point of View (I mixed it up a little! You see that?)

Stefan watched as Bonnie surrounded herself by candles. "I'm not sure this is going to work," she admitted to him.  
"You've done this thing before, right? Contacted Emily Bennett. Maybe one of the witches knows how to help Damon," Stefan said  
Let's just hope they want to," Bonnie said standing up and Stefan rose with her." He watched as she closed her eyes and whispered the spell chants softly, but quickly. The candles around them magically lit and Stefan looked around. Suddenly, Bonnie fell silent.  
"Bonnie?" Stefan whispered her name. She wasn't whispering, but echoes of voices boomed off the walls and surrounded him. "Bonnie?" he asked again, a little louder this time.  
Bonnie's eyes opened quickly. "Emily" was the one word she whispered. Stefan understood. "Why have you come here, Stefan?" Bonnie-now Emily asked.  
"I need your help," Stefan admitted. He didn't want to have to ask the old witch. "I need to know if there's a spell that can heal a werewolf bite."  
Emily just looked straight at him. "No," she said without hesitation. "Nature ensures the balance of everything."  
"Is that true?" Stefan's voice shook with sadness and anger. "Or are you just saying no because it's Damon?"  
"Perhaps it is his time to die," she whispered.  
"No." Stefan shook his head. "That's not balance that's punishment."  
"Hmm. I will not give you want you want."  
"So you're saying that there is an answer to give?" Emily just looked at him. "Please," he said softly. "If you know something, just tell me. Help me save my brother."  
Emily still looked at Damon. Suddenly, the whispers in the room got louder. "AH!" Emily screamed. She grabbed her head and bent over in pain. Stefan helped as Emily fell to the floor.  
"Bonnie," he whispered, knowing that it was no longer the old witch in the teenagers body.  
"They don't want us here," Bonnie said, holding her head. "They think I'm abusing my powers."  
"They know something. There's an answer. They just don't want to tell me."  
Bonnie was breathing heavily through the pain. "I heard them say a name."  
"What was it?"  
Bonnie swallowed. "Klaus."

**Alaric's Point of View.**

"RIC!"  
Alaric woke to Elena screaming his name. He looked up and saw Elena standing over him.  
"What happened?" Alaric asked.  
"Damon thinks I'm Katherine!" she yelled. "He's going crazy."  
Alaric shook his head. "I'm pretty sure we have a lot less than forty-eight hours. I'm guessing that we have just a little under twenty-four."  
Elena swallowed. "We have to go find him!"  
"I know," he muttered. He sat up straight and rubbed the back of his head. "We'll have to split up. If you were a dying vampire that was literally going crazy, where would you go?"  
"We have to remember that this dying, crazy vampire is Damon," Elena pointed out.  
Alaric nodded. "I'll check the bar."

Alaric was driving through the streets slowly, on his way to Mystic Grill. He was about there when he saw Caroline and Jeremy.  
"Jeremy!" Alaric rolled down his windows and called out. He pulled over to the side of the street and parked next to where the teenagers were standing.  
"Oh, hey, Alaric," Jeremy greeted, coming up toward the car.  
Alaric got out of his car and leaned against the driver's door. "Hey, Jeremy. How have you been?"  
Jeremy shrugged. "'Bout as good as I can be."  
Alaric nodded. "Hey, have you seen Damon around?"  
Jeremy shook his head. "Uh, no. The last time I saw him was when he came over to talk to Elena. Why?"  
"He's missing."  
Jeremy gave Alaric a confused look. "What?"  
Alaric nodded. "Look, Jeremy. I know you and Damon definitely don't have a good past, but I also know that you're not one to hold a grudge. If we don't find him soon, he's going to die. Can you let me know straight away when you find him?"  
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I was just on my way to the Grill. Want me to see if he's there?"  
Alaric nodded. "That would be great. I'm going to continue to search around town."  
Jeremy nodded. "Okay, I'll keep you posted.

**Jeremy's Point of View**

Jeremy walked back to Caroline after he watched Alaric get back into his car and drive off.  
"We need to check the Grill," he told her.  
"Are you actually worried about Damon?" Caroline asked in disbelief.  
"Well, I don't want him to die," he said defensively. "Why would you ask me that?"  
"I didn't mean it like that," she said. "I just meant that you and he seem to have a bad history together."  
Jeremy scoffed. "You're starting to sound like Alaric."  
Caroline laughed. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
Jeremy smiled. "Maybe a little of both."  
"Guys!"  
Jeremy turned around and saw Bonnie come toward them. "Oh, hey." He looked at Bonnie and noticed that something was off. "Are you okay? You look like you got hit by a bus."  
"Thanks," she said rudely and defensively.  
"I didn't mean it literally, Bonnie," Jeremy said. "I'm sorry."  
Bonnie shook her head. "It's fine. I'm just tired. Stefan had me contact my ancestor Emily. It must have taken a lot out of me." She ran a hand through her messy hair.  
"Are you okay?" Caroline asked.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Bonnie assured her.  
Jeremy nodded. "We were just headed over to the Grill to find Damon," he explained. "Alaric told me he doesn't have a lot of time left. Apparently he and Stefan are going crazy. Elena too."  
Bonnie nodded. "I already know Stefan's going crazy. He was actually desperate enough to go to Klaus-" she stopped abruptly and looked at Jeremy and Caroline.  
"WHAT?" Caroline screamed. "He's going to Klaus?"  
Bonnie bit her lip. "Caroline, don't freak out. I wasn't even suppose to tell anyone."  
"Why is he going to Klaus?" Caroline asked.  
Bonnie took a deep breath. "When I contacted Emily, she told Stefan that there was nothing that could be done. That there wasn't a cure. However; the more Stefan talked to her, the more she talked about not wanting to save Damon's, giving away that there was an answer, but she was unwilling to provide one. Amongst all this, I heard a name: Klaus. Telling me that he knew something." She looked at Caroline and Jeremy. "So that's why Stefan's there. He wants to know what Klaus knows."  
Caroline shook her head. "Elena's going to be devastated."  
Bonnie nodded sadly. "I know. That's why I'm not going to tell her."  
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Not you, too! Why does everyone think it's a good idea to keep this kind of thing from Elena?"  
"No, Bonnie's right," Jeremy said. "Elena just found out that Damon is dying. There's only so much she can handle at a time. It hasn't been that long since Jenna died. If Stefan comes back fine, then that's great."  
"You don't know Klaus like we do, Jeremy," Caroline pointed out. "There's no way he's just going to let Stefan walk it, get the cure, have a cup of tea, then leave. He's going to ask for something."  
"Yeah," Bonnie agreed. "Question is, what."

Jeremy walked beside Caroline and Bonnie. They were almost to the Grill when they heard someone scream.  
Caroline looked up in the air and inhaled. "Blood. I smell blood. Lots of it."  
"Damon?" Jeremy asked.  
"Wouldn't surprise me," Bonnie said.  
They ran to the sound of the screaming and stopped when they came close to tripping over a body. The body was female. She looked about twenty. A pool of blood surrounded her long, red hair. Caroline bent down and examined the body. Jeremy couldn't see well from where he was standing. Plus, it was getting dark outside. "What happened?" Jeremy asked.  
Caroline stood up. "Definitely a vampire bite," she explained.  
"Is she dead?" Bonnie asked solemnly.  
Caroline nodded. "Yeah, she's dead."  
"Well then, let's go. I'll bet you anything that we'll find Damon around here somewhere. Sitting proudly and thinking about what he did." She continued to walk, without waiting for Jeremy and Caroline.  
Caroline sped up after her. "You can't really get mad at him, Bonnie. He doesn't have any control. He's delusional and crazy."  
"Are you actually standing up for him?" Bonnie asked.  
"Yes. But not because I like him. It's because I'm the reason he's in this mess."  
Jeremy jogged up to them. "Let's just forget about this and find him, alright?" Caroline and Bonnie nodded. "Good, now let's-" he stopped as he looked ahead and saw Damon standing there, leaning against the side of a building. "Hey, man are you alright?" he stayed there, not wanting to get too close to a crazy vampire.  
"Did I do this?" Damon panted, looking at the body. "I-I don't remember-"  
"Hey, it's okay, man. We're just going to get you out of here." Jeremy walked over to Damon with Caroline and Bonnie behind him.  
"Let's take him to the Grill," Caroline suggested. "It's closed now, but I can get us in. There won't be any people there, so we'll be alone. We'll worry about the trouble we could get into later."  
Jeremy nodded. He looked back at Damon. "We're going to help you, okay? Just remember where you are, and who you're with, okay?"  
Damon nodded. "Okay," he whispered.  
Jeremy nodded. He took Damon's arm and put it around his shoulder. He helped support Damon as they walked over to the Grill. Thankfully, it was a short trip.  
When they were at the front door, Jeremy waited for Caroline to do whatever she was planning on doing.  
"I'm going to have to break in," she said. "No one will know that it was us."  
"What if there's an alarm?" Jeremy asked.  
"Then we'll deal with that," Caroline said. She backed up and then ran and kicked the window. It shattered easily with her vampire strength. Jeremy waiting for an alarm to go off, but it didn't thankfully.  
"Okay, let's go," Caroline said, stepping inside. Bonnie followed her, and then Jeremy headed in last. They walked over to a table, and Jeremy sat Damon down in one of the chairs. "I'm calling Alaric," he said to Damon.  
Damon nodded and put his arms on the table and laid his head down on top of his arms.  
Jeremy pulled out his cell-phone and dialed Alaric's number.  
"Hey, Jeremy!" Alaric picked up right away.  
"Alaric, I'm with Damon at the Grill."  
"I'll be there in five minutes," Alaric said, before he hung up.  
Jeremy put his phone in his pocket and went over to where Damon was sitting.  
"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked, raising his head.  
Jeremy looked at Bonnie and Caroline who both shrugged sadly. "Uh, he's not here right now. But Alaric's on his way."  
"I need to talk to my brother," Damon said. He started to get out of his chair when Jeremy stopped him.  
"Easy, there. You're not going anywhere," he said gently. "Alaric will be here soon and then we'll take you home, okay?"  
Damon nodded.  
They all sat there, silently and awkwardly, not knowing what to say next, when Alaric came through the shattered glass.

**Alaric's Point of View**

"Wow, guys. I didn't know you were all going to commit crimes in the process of this," he said stepping into the room. "Let me guess, Caroline's work?"  
"Guilty," she said, sounding pleased with herself.  
Alaric laughed and headed over to Damon. "How you doing, buddy?"  
"I need to see Stefan," he muttered.  
"Okay, well let's get you to the house then-"  
"Alaric," he heard Jeremy call his name. Alaric looked over his shoulder and saw him motioning to come toward him.  
"Hang on," Alaric whispered to Damon. He walked over to Jeremy. "What?" he whispered.  
"Stefan's gone," Jeremy said sadly.  
Alaric's eyes widened. "What do you mean he's gone? Like dead gone?"  
Jeremy shrugged. "Possibly."  
Alaric gave him a confused look. "What do you mean by possibly?"  
Bonnie stepped forward. "I can't believe I'm explaining this again. Long story short: Stefan asked me to contact my ancestor Emily and I did, he asked her about a cure, she didn't tell him. I came back, heard Klaus's name, so he went to Klaus."  
"And Damon doesn't know?" Alaric asked.  
"No, neither does Elena," Caroline said.  
Alaric shook his head. "Alright, I'll handle it."  
"You can tell Damon, but you can't tell Elena," Bonnie said. "She has enough to worry about."  
Alaric looked back at Damon who was breathing heavily with his eyes closed tight in pain. "Unfortunately, so does Damon. But he's been asking for him, so I guess we'll have to tell him."  
Alaric walked back over to the table Damon was sitting at. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Can you move?"  
Damon weakly shrugged. "I don't know."  
"Okay, well I'm going to help you back to your house okay?"  
Damon nodded. "Okay."  
Alaric wrapped his arms around Damon's waist and helped him out of the chair. As soon as Damon was out of the chair, he fell onto the floor."  
"Woah, Damon," he bent over to help him out, but the vampire was completely unresponsive. "Damon?" He gently nudged his friend.  
"Hey, what's going on?" Jeremy asked, rushing over with Caroline and Bonnie behind him.  
"I don't know," Alaric admitted. "Something's definitely wrong."  
"Is our time up already?" Caroline asked.  
Alaric looked down at Damon's unmoving body. "I don't know."


	10. The Shattered Rescue

**AN: Delena4Nian50: This entire chapter is dedicated to you, my sister. Hope you like it and thanks for the review. Check out her profile, guys! She's written several fanfics on Supernatural so if you like the show, read some of them! I read one of them, and she's great! Disclaimer (Did I do this last chapter? Probably not…) I don't own TVD. I'm just a teenage girl with absolutely no life and is too lazy to get a job. (If I had a job, that would leave zero time for fanfictions). I think that's all I have to say, so please enjoy this next chapter.**

Alaric's Point of View

"C'mon, buddy," Alaric whispered to Damon. "You're not done yet. Stefan's getting the cure, you gotta hold on. Just a few more hours, Damon."  
Damon still wasn't moving. _He couldn't be dead, could he? Please, just don't be dead. _The same thoughts went through Alaric's head the day he found out Damon was bitten. He pictured coming here at the Grill and not seeing Damon already there, completely drunk. He pictured not seeing his sarcastic, cocky smile and never being able to laugh at his obnoxious sense of humor. Damon was his best friend. He'd never really thought about it, but he's never had a better friend. Sure, his old friends back in high school never tried to kill him, but they also didn't understand him quite like Damon did. With Damon, it was like he knew what Alaric was thinking and feeling. Alaric hadn't known he was on the verge of crying, until a tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away, hoping no one noticed.  
"Jeremy, get the car ready," he ordered. "Dead or alive, we're taking him home." It was hard for Alaric to check to see if the vampire was dead or alive since he already didn't have a pulse. He bent down to check for breathing when Damon groaned.  
"Alaric, please don't tell me you're actually crying right now," Damon said, opening his eyes.  
Alaric laughed harder than he needed to. Most of it was just out of relief and joy. "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.  
"Of course you don't," Damon said.  
"I thought you were dead," Alaric confessed. "So, yeah, I was a bit upset."  
"I'm still shocked that after everything, you still don't want me dead."  
Alaric shrugged. "I think we've had more good times than bad."  
Damon raised his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure that's not true."  
Alaric smiled. "It is for me. I think half of the moments we shared, you are unaware of how I actually thought about them. As an example, that time I punched you in the face at the bar… that was a good moment."  
Damon laughed. "For you maybe. Now can you help me up before I lose anymore dignity than I already have. If that's even possible."  
"Why must all vampires be so prideful?" Alaric muttered.  
"Because we're old and think we can do and know everything."  
"I got the car ready, Alaric," Jeremy said coming toward Alaric.  
"Good," Alaric said. Then he turned back to Damon. "Let me help you up. And don't you even think about collapsing this time, because if you do, I'm just going to leave you here, go home, then have a beer and forget this ever happened."  
"That does sound like something you would do," Damon said. He winced in pain as Alaric practically lifted him off the floor.  
Jeremy hurried over to Alaric's side and helped support him. They both took him out to the car which thanks to Jeremy, was directly outside the building.  
"Take him to the back," Alaric instructed. He called over his shoulder. "Caroline, you're driving."  
Caroline nodded and rushed to the driver's side and got in. Bonnie was behind her and climbed into the passenger's side.  
"How you holding up?" Alaric asked, setting him in the backseat.  
"Great," he muttered under his breath. He closed his eyes and leaned against the window.  
Alaric put a hand on his shoulder. "Drive fast, Caroline," he said urgently. "We're running out of time." Alaric saw Caroline nod in the review mirror and she drove.

Caroline pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding House. "Need any help?" she asked Alaric.  
Alaric nodded. "I want him to be comfortable so instead of putting him on the couch, I want to take him up to his room. Then someone is going to have to call Elena."  
"Why?" Bonnie asked. "You're not going to tell her about Stefan, are you?"  
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on with Stefan?" Damon asked.  
Alaric looked at Damon sympathetically. So much had been happening to him in just the past few days. Sure he, Jeremy and Elena had lost Jenna, but at least they were all alive and healthy. Damon had hours left to live and here he was, worried about his brother. "We'll tell you once you're inside and more comfortable," Alaric promised, helping Damon out of the car. Caroline came to his aide and they both took him inside the house.  
Once they got in the living room, they were instantly greeted by Elena. "Ric! What's going on? I can't find Stefan and I've been looking for at least someone for hours now. Where the hell were you guys?"  
"We were at Mystic Grill," Jeremy explained.  
Elena gave them all a look before her attention went to Damon. "You're dying, and you were still at the Grill drinking?"  
Damon smiled at her. "You know I can't help myself," he said making Alaric laugh and roll his eyes. Honestly, he was just glad that Damon's sarcastic humor hadn't left him.  
"Please tell me you're kidding," Elena said. Then she looked at Alaric. "He is joking, right?"  
"I'm pretty sure even Damon wouldn't get drunk while he's dying," Alaric said. "Besides, you knew I was checking at the Grill for Damon. You and I split up, remember?"  
"Oh, that's right!" She smiled at Alaric apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Stefan. I haven't seen him." Her gaze fell on Bonnie. "You were the last one to see him. Do you know where he is?"  
Bonnie blinked at Elena. Alaric could tell she was uncomfortable. "Not really, no." Which Alaric realized wasn't exactly a lie.  
Elena nodded, looking worried.  
"You guys seriously lost Stefan?" Damon asked.  
"I'll give you more information when we get upstairs," Alaric whispered to the vampire. Then he raised his voice and spoke to Elena. "Caroline and I are taking him upstairs. Then he's all yours. I'm guessing you'll be wanting some time alone with him?"  
Elena nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."  
Alaric nodded. "Alright, let's go." He and Caroline both practically dragged him up the stairs into his room. When Alaric went in the bedroom, he was a bit surprised. It was his first time being in the room and it looked classic and neat.  
The two of them set Damon on his bed and Caroline looked at Alaric and nodded. Knowing what he had to do, Alaric took in a deep breath. "Damon, Stefan's with Klaus."  
"What?" Damon tried to sit up, but Alaric pushed him back down gently. "You have to stay calm."  
"Why the hell is Stefan with Klaus?" Damon demanded.  
"Why do you think?"  
Damon was quiet for a moment, then it clicked. "You've got be kidding me."  
"Look, Damon, Stefan just wants you to be safe."  
"And what is he giving in return?"  
"We don't know yet," Alaric admitted.  
Damon sighed. "That's just great, Ric. And let me guess, Elena doesn't know." He didn't say it as a question.  
Alaric shook his head. "Yeah, we haven't told her yet. We're still trying to think of a way to break the news. I mean Jenna just died, you're… you know, and now Stefan is gone."  
Damon sighed again. "This is not happening. I swear, I'm going to kill him. Unless Klaus beat me to it."  
Alaric shook his head. "You can't afford to think like that. Now now. Elena needs you to stay strong.  
"I don't know how much longer I have left, Ric," Damon admitted softly.  
Alaric put his hand on Damon's shoulder. He felt tears sting his eyes, but he refused to let them fall down. No way was he crying in front of Damon now.  
"I'm so tired," Damon mumbled.  
"If you go to sleep, I'm not positive you'll be able to wake up again. I'm going to go get Elena."  
Alaric headed to the door and wiped a tear from his eye as he left the room.


	11. Promises for the Broken

**AN: Big thanks to theonlyisabela for the great review. Here's the update! But this chapter is dedicated to a guest user who I wish had a profile name so I could thank them properly. Anyway, thanks for the positive feedback, Guest. Don't worry, I'm still going so now you can read more. Glad you think the characters are right. You really put my mind at ease. As a fanfic writer, my biggest concern is not keeping the characters but I'm glad you think I'm doing well with it. Also, this will be the second to last chapter in this fanfic. I know so sad. I've actually really come to love writing this. I love torturing Damon. Mwahaha. Another thing, it's a long weekend so I'll probably- actually definitely will finish this by Monday. Wait! Maybe not. That leads me to my next note: I'm going to be at my grandma's house for Thanksgiving, and she doesn't have internet so… Yeah… But I will try my hardest to get something done. If I stay up all night tonight, I'll be able to get it done. Happy Thanksgiving, guys! Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries isn't mine. If it was, I would put myself in the show and make myself a love interest for all the hot guys. Especially my Damon.**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric had been sitting in the Salvatore's living room for three hours. He still hadn't heard anything from Elena which meant the two were still talking, which meant Damon was still alive. For now. His gaze kept falling on the front door, waiting to see someone walk in with the cure. Stefan, Klaus _anyone_. They were running out of time, and as the second hand on his watch ticked away, Damon was getting more and more worse. He drew in a heavy breath. He has allowed Caroline to take his car and drive her, Jeremy and Bonnie home which meant he was completely alone in the room. He had spent the last three hours trying not to through the scotch he was drinking out the window. It took all his effort not to completely lose it. Where the hell was the cure? What is he suppose to do if Damon dies? He put his head in his hands, and leaned forward. He sat like this for what could have been hours when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.  
"Alaric," Elena said softly. She was definitely crying, causing Alaric to stand up and rush to her. "What's wrong? God, is he?"  
"No," she shook her head. She wiped her eyes. "God, I hate crying."  
"What's going on?" Alaric asked.  
Elena looked away guiltily. "We kissed."  
Alaric raised his eyebrows. "You kissed Damon?"  
Elena nodded. "Yeah and I feel super bad about it, so why don't we just not talk about it, okay?"  
Alaric nodded. "That's fine."  
"He wants to talk to you," Elena said changing the subject. Something about Stefan."  
Alaric looked at her in surprise. "How much did he tell you?"  
"Certainly not enough," she said in annoyance. "What's going on?"  
Alaric closed his eyes. "Stefan went with Klaus to go get a cure for Damon."  
Elena looked at Alaric in horror. "What?"  
"He had to do this, Elena." Alaric said gently.  
"Are you seriously telling me this right now, Ric. He's going to _die. _Klaus is going to kill him!"  
"Maybe not," Alaric said. He walked over to the stairs and looked back at Elena. "You have to stay positive, Elena. We all do. Or none of us is going to have an ounce of sanity by the time this is all over."

Alaric walked into Damon's bedroom and knelt by the bed. He was right. He had been getting a lot worse. His skin was no longer abnormally pale like it had been in the Grill. It was now a gray color like clouds right after a storm. His black hair was sticking to his forehead from the sweat that covered his entire body. Alaric felt Damon's forehead and became worried by the heat that radiated off of it. "How long have you had a fever, Damon?" Alaric asked him.  
Damon blinked. "Uh, what time is it?"  
Alaric frowned at him. "This is serious."  
"I really don't know. Elena was panicking about it, too."  
"She's just worried about you, Damon," Alaric said.  
"Yeah, just like Stefan. And look where that got him," Damon pointed out. His voice was getting quieter with every sentence.  
"You can't afford to waste your strength worrying about Stefan," Alaric reminded Damon. "I just told Elena, we all have to do our best to stay positive."  
"Good luck with that," Damon said in a hoarse whisper. Alaric was about to say something when Damon cried out in pain.  
"Hey, I'm right here," Alaric comforted, putting a hand on Damon's shoulder. Knowing what he needed, Alaric patted Damon's shoulder. "I'll be right back. He ran out of the room and went down in the basement where the cooler full of blood bags was. He grabbed two and hurried upstairs, ignoring Elena who asked him what he was doing.  
Alaric came back into Damon's room, breathing heavily. "Too much exercise going down to the basement, Ric?" Damon asked quietly.  
"Shut up," Alaric said smiling. He walked over to Damon and held up a blood bag, only to see Damon shake his head.  
"It's blood, Damon," Alaric said, hearing the annoyance in his tone.  
Damon closed his eyes. "Ric, I feel nauseous enough as it is," he mumbled.  
"Damon, you need blood. We have to keep you strong until Stefan or whoever shows up with the cure. Just drink it. You'll feel better." He tore open the bag, and held it up to Damon's mouth, who slowly and hesitantly drank. Quite some time later, he was finished with it and Alaric was about to open the second one when Damon stopped him. "No. I think I'm going to be sick."  
Alaric rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic."  
Damon shook his head and put his hand over his mouth. "I'm really about to be sick."  
Alaric dropped the blood bag and sprinted to the bathroom where he was lucky enough to find an empty bin. He ran back into Damon's bedroom, helped Damon sit up and put the bin under him. Just seconds later, Damon gagged and began vomiting up blood. Alaric rubbed his back as the vampire emptied his stomach contents. When he was finished, Alaric set the bin on the floor and helped Damon lay back down.  
"Well that was gross," Alaric said.  
"Tell me about it," Damon whispered hoarsely, looking more warn out than before.  
"I think the blood did more harm than good," Alaric said sadly.  
"I told you."  
Alaric sighed. He got up again and went to the bedside table where some tissues were. He grabbed a couple and handed them to Damon to wipe his mouth. "Let's not try that agiain," he decided.  
"Really? Because I would love to go through that again," Damon said his voice almost inaudible. Alaric looked at him with concern and saw that he was definitely fading away.  
"Hey, Damon," Alaric gently nudged him. "You got to stay with me, buddy."  
"I'm so tired," Damon breathed out.  
"I know, but I'll be with you the entire time," Alaric promised. "I'm going to help you get through this, even if it kills me."  
"It just might," Damon said.  
Alaric looked at him. "What are you talking about?"  
"I already hurt you once, Ric. I'm not going to let myself do it again. You really should leave. I'll be fine."  
Alaric scoffed. "This is what you call fine? Wow. I really don't want to see you when you're not fine."  
"You need to leave, Ric," Damon said.  
Alaric shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."  
"And people call me stubborn."  
Alaric laughed. "You're still the most stubborn person I know." Damon didn't respond and Alaric stared at him, trying not to worry too much. The fact that Damon had minutes left was worrisome when the cure still hadn't arrived. "Damon, just a little longer, okay? Just fight for a little longer?" The doubt in his own voice was too much, and Alaric felt a tear run down his face. It had been the third time he had cried since the incident. He hated crying, especially in front of Damon.  
Damon looked up and stared at Alaric. Alaric was waiting for a sarcastic remark, teasing or laughter but none of that happened. Instead, Damon gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, don't do this, Ric," Damon said softly. "I'll be fine. And even if I'm not, you have to keep a hold of yourself. Elena, Jeremy and my brother are going to need you while I'm gone." Alaric just nodded. He got up and grabbed another tissue to wipe his eyes with.  
"This is embarrassing," Alaric said, feeling ashamed. He walked back over to Damon's bed and knelt beside it again. "We can't ever speak of this."  
"I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," Damon said with his eyes closed.  
"Well I've been crying all day," Alaric confessed. "Well, it feels like that anyway. But I'm serious, no one needs to know."  
Damon's breathing was becoming heavier. "I don't know who I'd tell anyway." Alaric wanted to leave. He was tired of seeing Damon like this. He was tired of feeling like breaking down every time Damon did something that showed him he was getting worse. But he didn't leave. He stayed because Damon needed him now more than ever.  
Alaric spent the next few moments talking to Damon who's only responses now were slight nods. Alaric sighed. "I'm sorry, Damon. I'm sorry that you're going through this. I'm sorry about Stefan, but most of all, I'm sorry that it took you dying for me to realize who you are to me. If-" he cut off, now just wanting to be honest to Damon and himself. "When you go, I want you to know that I'll find Stefan for you. Elena and I will work together. I forgot to mention to you that I told Elena about him. She's devastated. I want you to know I'll take care of her. I know you love her, Damon. I'll take care of Jeremy, too. They'll both be safe. But no matter what, it will never be the same. Elena won't be the same, Stefan won't be the same, and I sure as hell won't be the same. I'll go to the bar and expect you to be there like you always are. But you won't be."  
"Don't be so sure of that."  
Alaric stopped his ranting and looked behind him. Elena? No it was Katherine. "What?"  
Katherine held up a vial full of red liquid. "Doesn't seem to me like you even need this. You already had your entire good-bye speech said."  
"The cure," Alaric breathed. Katherine walked up to him and put the cure on the table. She then headed on out. When she was halfway through the door she turned around.  
"Don't be expecting Stefan anytime soon," she said smiling. "He'll be gone for a long time. And that… is a promise."  
Alaric watched her leave then quickly turned back to Damon. He picked up the vial that was full of red liquid. What was it? It looked like blood. Alaric wasn't too concerned about it. He just hoped Damon wouldn't throw it up before it took effect. He uncapped it and put it up to Damon's mouth. "Just drink it, pal. C'mon."  
Damon breathing was way too slow, and he was unresponsive. "Fine," Alaric sighed. "Looks like I will be forcing this down your throat." He opened Damon's mouth and poured it in. "Swallow it," he ordered. He sighed with relief when Damon swallowed whatever kind of blood it was.  
Alaric smiled. He brushed back some of Damon's damp hair. "Now you can rest."


	12. The Healing Wounds and Friendships

**AN: The final chapter, guys! Wow. This has been great. I actually don't want it to end, but it is. This will probably be my shortest chapter too. But, thanks guys for all the great reviews. I'm so glad that you guys were so willing to help me and you guys wanted to help out. You all are awesome. After this, I will be starting the 100 fanfic challenge. So, if you guys like my writing, I'd love for you to hang around while it's happening. I think it'll be a lot of fun to write, and I hope it'll be fun to read. So here's to the final chapter *raises glass* This isn't for a specific reviewer. It's to everyone! Thanks for sticking around guys. I love you all! And so does Damon. He loves us all too! He just…. Doesn't want to admit it… yet. Okay, before I get too creepy, the "thanks to whoever reviewer" will be at the end of this chapter since I'm starting this directly after I posted the last chapter so it's not enough time for you guys to review. Also, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Disclaimer: This series isn't mine. If it was, I'd more than likely have better things to do with my time. Trust me, I own crap. (Was my disclaimer different in every chaper) Okay well here you guys go. (Just be thankful that this is the last long, and annoying authors note)**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric woke up only to realize he had fallen asleep in the first place. He was sitting in a chair that he moved next to Damon's bed so he could watch him for any changes. He looked over to the curtains that were closed, and spread them apart. He was greeted by the sun straight away. But something confused him. The brightness and the placing of the sun told him it was midday. He checked his watched and raised his eyebrows. It was a little after 12:00pm. He remembered it had been around 1:00 in the morning when Damon finally got cured and went to sleep. Sighing he went over to Damon carefully and quietly, making sure he didn't wake up the vampire. Damon sure as hell needed all the rest he could get.  
Alaric jumped when his phone went off. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and hit "ignore". He glanced over at Damon, worried that the noise woke him up but the vampire was still in the same position, breathing softly.  
Stepping outside he checked his phone to see who it was that called. _Elena. _"Great," Alaric muttered. He had forgotten to tell Elena that Damon had gotten the cure the previous night. She must be out of her mind with worry. He quickly called her back.  
"Alaric!" she yelled picking up on the first ring. "Where are you? What's going on? Is Damon okay?"  
"I'm at Damon's house, nothing really, and yeah, he's sleeping." Alaric answered all her questions at once. He heard a sigh of relief on the other end.  
"Thank God," Elena breathed. "I was worried out of my mind. You should have told me, Ric."  
"I know," Ric said. "I'm sorry. After Damon fell asleep I sort of followed right after."  
"So what happened?"  
Alaric swallowed. He was tired of keeping things from her. "Katherine delivered the cure."  
"What? Why Katherine? What about Stefan?" Her worry was building up with each question she asked.  
"Elena, I'm just going to be honest with you."  
"That's all I ask, Alaric."  
"Klaus has Stefan still," he explained sadly. "Before you ask for details, I don't have any. All Katherine said was something about not seeing Stefan for a long time."  
Elena was silent for a while. "When do we make our move?" she asked after the long pause.  
"I'm sure Damon would kill us if he found out we went searching for Stefan without him," Alaric said.  
"You're probably right. So how is he?"  
Alaric sighed. "Well, it's hard to say. It was a long night for him, so he's still sleeping."  
"I'm coming over," Elena said. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Will you call me if they're any changes?"  
"Yeah, sure of course."The two of them hung up and Alaric ran his hands through his hair. It had certainly been a long past few days. He put the phone back in his pocket before he returned to Damon's room.  
Damon was still completely out. Worried, Alaric walked over to him. Damon was looking a lot better. His skin tone wasn't so grey anymore and his breathing was a lot more even and calm. He thought about checking on his arm to see how well it was healing, but he didn't want to risk waking him. He was wondering what to do next, when Damon stirred. Alaric stared at the bed for a few seconds, not sure if he was actually awake or not.  
"Ric?" Damon asked.  
"Yeah, it's me," Alaric said kneeling down beside the bed.  
Damon groaned and sat up. He looked down at himself and frowned. "Please tell me that's water all over me."  
Alaric shook his head. "It's not water. That's your own sweat."  
"Oh, that's just disgusting." Damon said, lying down again.  
Alaric laughed. "Pull up your sleeve. I need to see how well the bite is healing."  
Damon pulled up his sleeve and Alaric gently grabbed his arm and examined it. "It's looking a lot better," he told him. It was, too. It was no longer the color of a bruise, it was now just a faded red color. "Does it still hurt?"  
"A little," Damon admitted. "But I'll live."  
Alaric smiled. "Yeah. Yeah you will."  
Damon sat up again. "Stefan."  
"We'll worry about that later," Alaric promised. "But Elena's on her way and if she sees you running around like this, she'll probably slap me across the face. Again. So we need to just focus on you fully healing, then we'll worry about Stefan. We have to take this one step at a time."

Damon shook his head. "We might not have time. Stefan is out there because of me, Ric."  
Alaric put a hand on his friends shoulder. "I know. So let's make sure it isn't for nothing."  
Damon sighed. "You're impossible."  
"And you have no room to talk."  
"I'm a prideful vampire. What's your excuse?"  
Alaric laughed. "Nothing near that good. Now back to important matters: how much do you remember from last night?  
"Not much," Damon admitted. "Just the part about Stefan and some parts when I was with Elena…" his voice trailed off. Alaric grinned knowing what stopped Damon.  
"Was she that bad of a kisser?"  
Damon glared at him. "How did you-"  
Elena-like you blabs. Except unlike you, she doesn't do it when she's drunk. She only does it when she's really upset."  
Damon groaned. "You can't tell anyone about the kiss."  
"Who would I honestly tell? Stefan? Because even I'm not that big of an idiot."  
"You drunk talk, too, Ric," Damon said, making Alaric smile again. "Is it a little warm in here?" Damon asked suddenly.  
"No," Alaric said, giving him a puzzled look. Then he realized what was probably wrong. "You might still have a bit of a fever," Alaric said, becoming just slightly worried.  
"Great," Damon groaned.  
"I'll be right back. I'll try to bring it down a little." He went over to the bathroom and wetted down a washcloth with cold water and returned to Damon. He ran the washcloth across him forehead and down his cheeks. "Let's hope that helps you a bit."  
"You said Elena was coming?" Damon asked.  
"Yeah," Alaric said. Damon groaned. "Damon, it's not like you two wouldn't have to face each other eventually anyway."  
"I know, I know."  
Alaric patted his shoulder. "Are you up for blood? Or should we wait?"  
Damon sat up. "I think I'm up for it."  
"Are you sure? Because I'd rather not watch you puke up blood. That was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."  
"Yeah, I'll be good," Damon said. Alaric nodded and went and got the blood bag that was left over from last night. He tore it open and handed it to Damon who drank it slowly and cautiously.  
"Do you need another one?" Alaric asked and Damon nodded. Alaric ran down to the basement and grabbed two more in case. He hurried back up the stairs, into Damon's bedroom. He found Damon sitting up, looking a lot better.  
"Here," Alaric said, handing Damon a newly torn bag of blood. Damon was able to drink this one less hesitantly and quicker. Alaric handed him the other bag of blood, and Damon drink it too. "If you need more, just tell me."  
"I think I'll be good for now," Damon said.  
"Do you think you can walk?" Alaric asked.  
Damon pushed back the covers and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Putting his hand on the wall, he slowly stood up when suddenly his knees almost gave out and Alaric found himself running over and helping him stay steady.  
"I'll help you make it downstairs," Alaric said.  
"Sounds good to me," Damon said. He looked back at his bed. "I was getting tired of lying in a bed that's covered in my sweat and blood that I'm pretty sure came out of me."  
Alaric smiled. He allowed Damon to lean against him as they made it out of his room and down the stairs. He sighed in relief when they were in the living room and he set Damon gently on the couch.  
"Better?" he asked him.  
"Much," Damon said smiling. There was a long silence before Damon spoke up. "Look, Ric. I know I've done things that I shouldn't have done that ended up hurting you. I'm surprised that you came to my aide when you did."  
"What are you saying?" Alaric said smiling.  
"You're not going to let this go until I say It out loud, are you?"  
Alaric shook his head no.  
Damon smiled. "Thanks, Ric."  
Alaric put his hand on Damon's shoulder. "Sure thing, Buddy." That's when Elena came through the door. She stepped into the living room and looked at Damon.  
"Are you doing any better?" she asked.  
"Well I'm downstairs, aren't I?"  
She smiled. "I'm really glad you're okay, Damon."  
"No." Damon looked at both of them. "Do not make this more emotional than this needs to be. I've had enough crying," he looked at Alaric "and enough sympathetic kissing," he glanced over at Elena "to last me a whole year."  
Alaric laughed. "Too bad I'm not a vampire. I could have given you a sweet dream that had sun and dancing and racing."  
Damon looked at him. "How did you know about the dream I gave Rose?"  
"I told you, you're a drunk talker."  
Damon rolled his eyes. "I really need to stop drinking with you."  
Alaric laughed again. "Yeah, you'd miss me too much."  
Damon shook his head. "I think you're the one that would miss _me. _I'm not the one who was going crazy over the past few days."  
"Alright, fine," Alaric said. "Turn me into a vampire then have Tyler Lockwood bite me and see how you handle the situation."  
Damon smiled. "Don't tempt me."  
"You'd go crazy like I did."  
"Maybe." Damon said. That's all he gave Alaric was a "maybe". Honestly, though. That was just fine. Because Alaric knew that "maybe" to Damon was worth a whole lot more than what it said.

**The End!**

AN: It's done. Wow. My life feels incomplete now. So, I will start the 100 fanfic challenge this Sunday or Monday. One of the two. And I will see how things go from there. I really hope all of you guys check it out, and are there to read the first one the day it comes out. Now before I forget, like I said, this chapter was just dedicated to everyone. However; shout out to Latura who honestly, I think is my mystery guest that I loved so much because that review and the other one I loved so much have similarities. And if it's not, thanks for the great review! You're awesome. Anyway, thanks again guys, this was so much fun. I just love torturing Damon. I'm actually mentally making a fanfiction where he gets kidnapped by Klaus. Haha! My mind just won't leave the poor vampire alone. Should I write it? And it will actually be a sequel to this, because it will be while Stefan's away and will have some moments where they talk about what happened in this story! So, I'd love to hear what you think of that. Should I? Or should I not? Haha. One last thing: Thanks not only to the people who reviews, but to everyone! Even those people who skim through chapters and say, "this is stupid" then quits. I love you too! Thanks anyway for trying it! Though if they did that, I don't know why they would be reading some random author's note at the end of the very last chapter. How many people actually read these? Haha. Good-bye for now!  
~Fangurl000


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